"Relentless Forward Progress" by Bryon Powell, A Practical Guide to Running Ultramarathons

Marathons have become a bit too easy for some runners. What was once the pinnacle of achievement in a recreational runner’s life is now just the stepping-off point for truly extraordinary adventures.

The number of ultrarunners—those running distances of 50K (31 miles), 50 miles, 100K (62 miles), or 100 miles—are growing astronomically each year. The books Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes and Born to Run by Chris McDougall have inspired tens of thousands to try these seemingly superhuman distances.

But to date, there has been no practical guide to ultramarathoning. Now Bryon Powell has written Relentless Forward Progress, the first how-to manual for aspiring ultrarunners.

Powell covers every aspect of training for and racing ultra distances, including #training pace #weekly mileage #speed work #recovery #tapering #cross training #burnout #overtraining #trail running #tips #climbing #descending #walking #specific training plans #coaches #hydration #food #injuries #chafing #choosing shoes #navigation #night running #race preparation #pacers #support crew #strategy #hot-weather running #cramps #heat exhaustion #altitude #cold-weather running #clothing #the ultramarathoning community #snowshoe running #fastpacking #barefoot running and much more.

This encyclopedic volume will prepare any runner for going farther than they have ever gone before.

About the author:

Bryon Powell is the editor in chief of the trail running and ultramarathon website, iRunFar.com. In May 2009, Bryon left his job as a Washington, DC, attorney to dedicate himself full time to spreading the word about trail running and ultrarunning. His work has appeared in numerous national publications, including Outside, Runner’s World, Running Times, Trail Runner, Competitor Running, and UltraRunning. He’s also a contributing editor at Trail Runner and an advisory board member of the American Trail Running Association. In addition to writing,Bryon has coached many runners to their first ultra or first 100 miler finishes. Needless to say, despite his writing and coaching, Bryon still runs ultras. He has twice placed in the top ten at the Leadville 100 (’06 & ’09), twice won the under-30 age group at the Western States 100 (’05 & ’06), and was part of the first American team to place in the top three at Morocco’s Marathon des Sables (’09).

Runwitme Says: The book will be out on April 29, 2011. Thanks to Breakaway Books for the review copy!